


The Reunion

by magequisition



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Catching Up, Fluff, High School Reunion, Lost Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-24
Updated: 2013-03-24
Packaged: 2017-12-06 07:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/733141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magequisition/pseuds/magequisition
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Dean's ten-year high school reunion, and he doesn't really feel like going. When he does, he meets up with someone he didn't expect to see again, and suddenly a lot of his life feels like it makes sense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reunion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [allofspace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allofspace/gifts).



> For my beta reader Robin, who REALLY wanted to read this and who regularly saves my fic-writing ass.

 Dean adjusted his tie as he stared at himself in the mirror. 

“Ugh, Sammy, I really don't want to go to this thing,” he grumbled. “I look stupid in this stupid suit and I don't even have a date.” 

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. “Dean, you have to go. It's your ten year reunion. Aren't you curious about what everyone in your class has been up to?” 

“Not really. I didn't like ninety-nine percent of them, and anyways it's not like I have anything interesting to say. I dropped out of college because I was bored.” Dean shrugged. “This is such a stupid idea.” 

“Dean, you dropped out of college and then started your own electronics repair place. Which has been outrageously successful considering you have no official qualifications. That's really freakin' cool, you know?” 

Dean shrugged. He was proud of his little shop, proud of what he'd built from the ground up, but in the face of people he knew had gone on to acting, medicine, and law, it seemed to him to be pretty basic and uninteresting. And there was still the fact that he'd hated most of the people he went to high school with, only having had a few friends that he'd since grown apart from. He wasn't married, didn't have kids, and still shared an apartment with his brother. 

All in all, it seemed like it was going to be a pretty miserable night. 

*****

Dean arrived at the hotel twenty minutes after the reunion had started. He checked in and got his name tag, which he reluctantly pinned to his suit jacket, and slowly entered the crowded main room. He scanned it cautiously, hoping to see a familiar face that didn't bring back terrible memories, but he saw none. He made his way over to the bar to get himself a drink. 

Once he had his beer, he made his way over to an empty table near the wall, sitting down to watch the crowd. People were mingling and making awkward small talk, and he had no real desire to be part of it. All in all, he was completely regretting coming to the reunion at all, just as he'd expected he would. He took a long sip from his beer, groaning inwardly as he heard his name. 

“Dean?” The voice in question was rough, and Dean's head snapped in the direction of it. 

“Cas,” he said. “Hey, buddy. How's it going?” Castiel Novak had been one of the few people in his graduating class he'd liked. Liked a lot, actually. He was quiet and nerdy, and he'd been the one to encourage Dean to come out as bisexual in senior year. He'd also been Dean's first kiss that same year, when he'd kissed him slowly and shyly to congratulate him on coming out. It hadn't gone anywhere, but they'd stayed friends for a few years. Going to schools on opposite sides of the country had made it more difficult to keep in contact, though, and they'd fallen out of touch by the end of their second year of university. 

“Not bad,” Cas said. “I, uh, graduated med school.” 

Dean stood up and grinned. “That's great! I knew you would. You were always a genius.” He stepped forward and hugged the other man without thinking. When he realised what he'd done, he stepped back quickly and looked at his feet, shifting awkwardly. 

“How are you, Dean?” Cas asked. 

Dean shrugged. “Ah, well, you know. I didn't end up graduating college, but I own a small electronics repair business now.” When he looked up, he saw Cas nodding at him. 

“Winchester Repair, right? I see it sometimes on my way home from work. Depending on what route I take home. I didn't know that was your shop, though...that's so great, Dean. You were always good with electronics.” 

Dean's jaw dropped. “Wait, you're back in town? You work in the hospital here?” 

Cas shook his head. “Nah, I didn't go into emergency medicine. I'm a GP. I work in the clinic over on Pine.” 

Dean grinned. “Hey, I only live five minutes from there. I share an apartment with Sam.” 

“What's he up to these days?” Cas asked. 

“Law school, just like he always planned,” Dean said, unable to keep the pride from his voice. “He got a full ride, you know? He's doing great there, he loves it.” 

“i'm glad to hear it, Dean,” Cas said. They stood there slightly awkwardly for a minute before Dean spoke up again. 

“Hey, you, uh, wanna sit down? I feel a little weird just standing here.” Cas nodded gratefully, and they both took seats at the table. When Dean turned to look at Castiel this time, their eyes met. 

There was a flash of blue (Dean had forgotten just how blue his eyes were) and suddenly Dean was seventeen again, scared and shaking as he told his parents that he was interested in boys as well as girls. He was smiling as he told his closest friend. His heart was pounding as his friend kissed him softly, uncertainly, and his stomach flipped as he pulled away, wishing with all of his heart that it would happen again. 

He was eighteen, and his heart was breaking as he hugged his friend goodbye as they left for their respective colleges. He wanted to kiss him again, but there were a lot of people around and he thought it might be weird, so he didn't. 

He was nineteen, and as he sat alone in his dorm room, he felt a twinge of sadness when he realised it had been four months since he'd talked to his friend. 

He was twenty-one, and his work buddy was dragging him around to the bars. Women and men alike were flirting with him, and he thought he went home with one of them, although she was gone by morning. 

He was twenty-eight, and he realised he hadn't had a steady relationship since he was twenty-two, and that one had only lasted a year. He'd restricted himself to one night stands. He'd told himself it was to keep things simple, he was busy running his business and couldn't promise the attention a relationship needed. So he'd go out a couple of times a month, get drunk and laid, and move on with his life. 

If all of the people he slept with had blue eyes or dark hair or both, it didn't mean anything. 

Until Castiel was sitting across from him again, and he realised just how much it did mean. 

Dean's eyes drifted to Castiel's left hand and saw no ring. He swallowed hard. “So, uh...what else is new?” he asked shakily, terrified of the revelation he'd just had. _No way,_ he thought. _After all these years...there's no way._

Castiel shrugged. “Not much, really. I'm still quite boring, as I always was. I go to work, I try my best to help people, and then I go home. I bought my first house last year. It's small, but it's enough for myself and Gabe.” 

Dean's heart sank. “Gabe, huh? How long have you guys been together?” He tried to keep his voice upbeat. 

Castiel's face broke out into one of his rare, but bright, smiles. “Gabe's my cat, Dean,” he said with a chuckle. “He's a sweet little tabby, and I've had him since he was a kitten. So I guess we've been together three years, if you want to call it that.” Dean couldn't stop himself. He laughed in relief. His laughter was contagious and soon Cas was laughing too, both of them doubling over in their chairs. It took them a few minutes to contain themselves and by the time they had, they were both wiping stray tears from their cheeks. 

“Oh man, I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Too long,” Dean said. 

“Me too,” Cas said. Dean bit his lip and took a deep breath, suddenly serious. 

“Hey Cas?” he asked. Cas tilted his head to the side in that way he'd always had, looking like a curious kitten himself. “Do you wanna get out of here? Go somewhere quieter?” 

Cas nodded. “Yeah, that'd be good.” They stood up and grabbed their jackets, which they'd draped over the back of the chairs they were sitting on. 

They didn't go far. The hotel was on a lakefront property, and they walked down to the water's edge. It was a clear night, and they sat on the grass, looking out over the water and up at the stars. 

“Cas.”  
“Dean.”

Their voices came out simultaneously as they turned to look at each other. They both stopped, and then they moved in unison, leaning towards each other and pressing their lips together in a bruising kiss. Dean's hand came up to cup the back of Castiel's head, running his fingers through the hair that was always slightly longer than Dean kept his own. They kissed furiously for several minutes before pulling back slightly. Dean's hand dropped to the ground and was quickly covered by Cas'. 

“I thought there was something wrong with me,” Castiel confessed quietly. “All these years...I haven't been able to make a relationship last.” 

“I didn't want to. I told myself it was because I was busy with the shop. But I spend plenty of time at home. It was just an excuse,” Dean said. 

“I wanted to kiss you goodbye, the day we left for college. You hugged me and I wanted to hold on to you forever. I was afraid to let you go, but then you let me go and I knew I had to. I knew you were just saying goodbye and that was it.” Castiel's voice was rougher than usual.

Dean shook his head. “I wish you had,” he said. “It would have made me feel less weird about wanting to kiss you.” 

Castiel closed his eyes and started to laugh. “We're idiots. We were such idiots,” he said. 

“I think,” Dean paused, afraid that his admission was going to scare Cas off. “I think I was in love with you, Cas. I think I still am. I think that part of me...even if I didn't know it...part of me always hoped it'd be you I ran into at a bar. I never found another guy I wanted to bring home. It was always women. I think it's because somehow I knew no guy would ever be you.” 

“You can't be in love with me now, Dean, you don't even know me anymore. What if I've changed?” Cas' voice was worried. 

“I don't think you've changed that much, Cas. You're still the best listener I know. You're a doctor, just like you always planned. You're still gorgeous. You're still a fucking amazing kisser,” Dean teased, trying to mask his nervousness and bringing a small smile out of Cas. 

“So what now?” Castiel asked quietly. 

“I don't know,” Dean replied honestly. “But I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, Castiel Novak. And if you've got no objections, I'd kind of like you to come home with me.” 

Castiel's only response was to press forward and kiss Dean again, knocking him flat on his back in the grass as he attempted to make up for ten years' lost time. 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt on the imagineyourotp blog on tumblr: Imagine your OTP meeting again at a highschool reunion many years after graduating and suddenly realizing they have always loved the other person.


End file.
